The Biography:
Born January, 1960; His father Leonid Solomonovich J.D. was a former representative of Russian President in Constitutional court; His mother Tsetsilia Lyudvigovna was also a lawyer.
At school he studied in one class with Alexander Lebedev ("National Reserve Corporation"). In 1982 he graduated from the Moscow State University, faculty of law where he studied together with his old friend Mikhail Vanin (ex-chairman of the State customs committee of Russia) and also with Dzhahan Pollyeva. In 1986 he entered postgraduate studies.
After graduating the university Mamut was sent to the printing house on a post of legal adviser. After working for four years at uninspiring job ("Power", on April, 3rd, 2006), it entered postgraduate studies and joined foreign trade and investment bank of USSR. After a few years Mamut was trusted to work abroad. In 1990 the publishing house “Kogan Page” issued a book by Mamut "Doing Business in the USSR" which was written in co-authorship with foreign lawyers. And in September, 1991 together with Oleg Kapanets (producer), Andrey Gloriozov and Dmitry Zelenin (the governor of Tver region) Mamut became director of two English companies Russian Capital Investment Co. Limited and Russian Commodity Trading Co. Limited. One year later both companies were liquidated. Gloriozov and Zelenin studied together at the Moscow Physic Technical institute. In 1988 Zelenin became the head of joint-stock company "Microdin", Vladimir Potanin's affiliated company "Interros". In November, 1990 the commercial share bank "Business and Cooperation" was registered at intermediary of Mamut and Gloriozov. In March, 1991 it changed the name for the bank "Imperial", and "Microdin", "Gazprom", "Trading house "Lukoil" became its owners. Subsequently Mamut took part in creation of the bank "Lefortovsky" and "Interexchange credit and financial company".
By that moment Mamut already had own business managing consulting and information co-operative society "ALM" created in September, 1990 (later "ALM Consulting"). In May, 1992 Mamut together with Grigory Berezkin and Vladimir Gruzdev founded the firm "Slavyanka" on the basis of shop №2 (Leninsky pr., h.61/1). This trading object became one of the first stones in the base of "Seventh continent". Mamut was co-owner of a retail chain till 1997.
In 1993 Mamut stopped managing the lawyer bureau in order to lead the "Project financing company" (PFC). "ALM Consulting" was not left without a head: Igor Shuvalov was appointed to a post of the senior legal adviser and in 1995 he got responsibilities of director. Among founders of PFC there were "Interprokom" (director – Mikhail Rahimkulov) and Grigory Berezkin's "KomiTEK". Company specialized in operations with Russian external debt. In September, 1994 Mamut even became the councilor on the industrial policy and business at the Government. In 1995 PFC obtained bank license and in one year it became known that one of its clients was "Sibneft".
In September, 1998 Mamut obtained a post of deputy head of acting administration "SBS-AGRO".
In May, 1999 Mamut was elected the councilor of directors in "Sobinbank".
According to the newspaper "Version", in 1999 Mamut was elected as the chairman of the supervisory board of MBW-bank ("Moscow Business World"), and the chain "the Seventh continent" was mentioned among the big clients of MBW-bank.
In July, 2000 Mamut was a member of board of directors of the insurance firm "RESO-GUARANTEE".
Mamut tried not to draw attention to him but in 2000 he became a public person. He was a member of board of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) and worked as non-staff adviser to the head of the Office of the President Alexander Voloshin, participated in work of Business Council in Mikhail Kasyanov's government
In 2002, Mamut was one of a dozen private investors, who bought shares of the company "Sixth channel" and supported the team of journalist Yevgeny Kiselyov.
The same year Mamut became a minority shareholder of the “Troika-Dialog”. He was elected chairman of the board of directors of the company and provided with an option to increase his share. Three years later, Mamut refused to implement the option and even sold the stock to the company management, headed by Ruben Vardanyan. By the time it became known that he was a partner of Oleg Deripaska in “Ingosstrah”. Two years later Mamut sold his insurer’s stake, and invested in Pechoraneft (sold to the West Siberian Resources), in book chain "Bookberry” and “Corbina Telecom" (sold to Golden Telecom and Vimpelcom). Then an acquisition of shares in Oriel Resources (sold to "Mechel"), "Polymetal", and "Euroset" (49.99% sold to Vimpelcom) followed.
Mamut was the leading investor and co-owner of the company "SUP”, which redeemed the blog service LiveJournal in 2007.
In May 2007 Mamut and independent producer, co-founder of TV company "View" Alexander Lyubimov filed a joint production company "Mirumir" and declared their intention to shoot films "at the intersection of art-house and commercial cinema."
In March 2008 first got in the list of the richest people in the world, compiled by the magazine Forbes. He took the 962 place with a fortune of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.
Representatives of the business community noted that Mamut was a financier in the first place: he preferred investing in a variety of industries, but not trying to create any significant structure.
Mamut was married twice, the second time - to Nadegda Lyamina, with whom he also studied in the same school. Before that marriage Lyamina had been married to Andrei Brezhnev, grandson of the Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee. She died in March 2002.
He is fond of cars, in 2000together with Oleg Deripaska and Roman Abramovich founded the Foundation for domestic science.
http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, http://lenta.ru/lib/14163493/, "interlocutor", 30.09.2003
The Dossier:
In the second half of 1990 Alexander Mamut appeared in the press as a "special trustee" of Boris Berezovsky - a businessman who was close to entourage of President of Russia Boris Yeltsin - and he was a member of the so-called "family circle". They wrote that Mamut was steadfastly faithful to Berezovsky and Abramovich, and rejected any proposals to work for Potanin, Prokhorov, Khodorkovsky. In an election year -1996 KOPF of Mamut formally paid 280 million rubles into the electoral fund of Boris Yeltsin's. This helped Mamut start a friendship with the son and daughter of Yeltsin - Yumashev and Dyachenko, and at the same time to become an advisor chief of administration of Alexander Voloshin.
Media wrote that Mamut secretly influenced public policy of the Boris Yeltsin.
http://lenta.ru/lib/14163493, http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, Полит.Ру 11.10.1999, www.newsru.com, July 16, 2001
Media reported on close friendship of Alexander Mamut and Mikhail Kasyanov, who was in charge of the government external debt. It is Alexander Mamut who became a sort of "ideologue" of the "family" of Boris Yeltsin, and the one who recommended Kasyanov to the post of Minister of Finance, later (January 2000) - the post of the first deputy prime minister, and later for the premiership post. Having achieved the purpose of having his “own” Prime Minister, Mamut, as media wrote, was able to put his people for a few other key positions. Igor Shuvalov became the head of the government apparatus. Mikhail Vanin - Head of the State Customs Committee. Alexander Dondukov - Minister of Industry, Science and Technology. In June, 2000 the First Deputy of Dondukov became an imperceptible employee of the State Institute of Aviation Systems (GosNIIAS) Boris Aleshin. Subsequently (in April, 2004) Aleshin became deputy prime minister for industrial policy, replacing Ilya Klebanov who was unloved by Kasyanov and Mamut. According to media reports, about 30 large state-owned enterprises were placed under de facto control of Mamut. He had a strong impact not only on the Administration of the President, the State Customs Committee, but also on the Ministry of Justice, Federal Tax Police. He was going to make his 70-year-old father the head of the Justice Ministry.
"Top Secret", May 2003
Media mentioned Alexander Mamut in connection with the cunning operation with bonds of Vnesheconombank, when the debts of state enterprises were privatized by a private company, which then presented a bill for payment to the state. According to media reports, in 1993 Mamut invented a scheme which resulted in Russia lost (and Mamut with his partners earned), millions of "green currency." The point was:. Mamut’s Company "ALM" was part of the bank "Imperial" founders. After the collapse of the Soviet Union debts of Vnesheconombank (Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs) to Russian importers were frozen, and debts to commercial banks had to be repaid. To convert the debt into cash there was a cunning scheme invented. In April 1993, the firm “Technopomimport” sold at an undervalued rate one of its debts at $ 15 million to a new bank by Mamut -" Company Project Financing "(KOPF). The latter, in its turn, pledged to put this debt into the share capital of Bank “Lefortovski" where Mamut was an advisor and co-owner. As for "Imperial", where the accounts of "Technopomimport" had been kept, it demanded "bonds" for the full amount of the debt. Economists calculated that if due to exchange rate differences budget lost $ 8.8 million, Kopf "vanished" from the ditched "Imperial". According to media reports, the whole election campaign of Boris Yeltsin in 1996 was funded on fiddling with the "bonds”, allowing Mamut to enter the" family ".
"Compromising", 19/11/2003, "Compromat.Ru", 27.01.2005
According to media reports, in 1994 Alexander Mamut intended to do operations on repayment of Russia's Indian debt at $ 150 million. He offered to buy 6 billion rupees in rubles at the rate underestimated by more than 5 times. The operation was to go through its own bank of Mamut - the “Company Project Financing "(KOPF). Mikhail Kasyanov actively lobbied the idea in the White House and a chief of Kasyanov, Alexander Shokhin. However, the Finance Ministry and VEB (Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs) did not give Mamut access to transactions in debt.
www.moscowuniversityclub.ru, "interlocutor", 30/09/2003, Compromat.Ru ", 27.01.2005
In the media they wrote about another financial scheme, whose author, as reported, was Alexander Mamut. In anticipation of the "elections-1996" the state handed over to the bankers securities at a discount of up to 70%; under the pretext of lack of money in the budget, the securities were taken back at par. Firstly, difference of 70% "was divided" between the pre-election fund and the bank in equal parts, which were further divided between the parties of transactions on a fair principle. It turned out that the author of this scheme was the financial brain of Berezovsky - Alexander Mamut.
Moskovsky Komsomolets, 05.04.2000
The reputation of Alexander Mamut was heavily influenced by the scandal with Sobinbank, in which he served as member of the board of directors. U.S. law enforcement authorities suspected Sobinbank in laundering the IMF trance through the Bank of New York (BONY). In August 1998 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia sent to FBI of the U.S. a request to find traces of $ 300 000 which had been paid as ransom for the Russian lawyer Edward Olevinskiy kidnapped by criminal structures. FBI learned that the money had been transferred to the Bank of New York at the expense of the company BECS International, run by a Russia's emigrant Peter Berlin. From there, transiting through an offshore bank account, they were transferred to Sobinbank. Then the information about other unusual transfers of funds in the accounts of Berlin came out. In late 1999, "Sobin" was searched, aimed at trying to find evidence of cooperation with the Bank of BONY. A team of the Moscow Directorate for Combating Economic Crimes (UBEP), the Tax Police (FTPS) and the FSB tried to seize the documents in the office of "Sobinbank. Action was conducted with the approval of the Prosecutor General.
From media reports one could conclude that Mamut controlled both of the banks - "Sobin” and MDM. Both of those banks was supposed to play a large role in the diversion of capital abroad. Reporters converged on the fact that Mamut, MDM and “Sobin"- are kind of "one team", while reports of the Kremlin influence of Mamut and his connection with Voloshin completed the picture – it was the Kremlin's command. Journalists at the moment vividly discussed the level of Mamut’s influence and his participation in the state government. In particular, Yevgeny Kiselyov called him "a powerful adviser to Alexander Voloshin, having office in the Kremlin, and influence as big as Abramovich had; as for MDM – he called it a big" black cash desk"."Gazeta.ru” called Mamut the chief organizer of capital export abroad. Mamut responded to the publication with promise to file lawsuits over them. In his interview to Kommersant he explained the attacks on him with the desire of the public to see "clique" and "conspiracy" everywhere and said he was - just another "target" in the Kremlin's command. Mamut tried to “get away" from "Sobin" by saying to "Kommersant" that he "took quite a nominal position of member of the Board of Directors the bank" in the bank.
Conversely, neither Mamut, nor the bank’s management denied the involvement of Mamut to the activities of MDM. According to the newspaper "Vedomosti", Mamut officially resigned from the board of directors of “Sobin" only in the summer of 2000. As for MDM, he stopped working there in early 2001.
Interlocutor ", 30.09.2003, http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, Полит.Ру 11.10.1999, www.finansy.ru, 01.10.2001
In December 1999, on the eve of elections to the Duma the leader of the electoral block "Fatherland - All Russia” Yevgeny Primakov declared that he was aware the Kremlin administration was trying to prevent IAD from participation in the electoral race by bribing candidates - members of the electoral list. By law, if 25% of the list of representatives withdrew their candidacies, the ISI would be taken off from the election. According to ISI, Mamut being “close to the Kremlin" proposed the money in the amount of $ 700 thousand for the candidate. According to Primakov, he coordinated and organized the process on behalf of the presidential administration of Alexander Voloshin. Mamut filed suit in Krasnopresnensky Intermunicipal Court of Moscow, he demanded to refute the statement made by Primakov, calling the accusation a total slander. Moreover, in an interview with "Kommersant-Daily" he said that all of those were "PR actions", and even if he had won the court, the purpose of the IAD actions would have been achieved. Even after the elections, in February 2000, media reported on the reconciliation between the leaders of the Duma faction Fatherland Yevgeny Primakov and influential businessman Alexander Mamut: they ceased to pursue each other in court. It happened after the beginning of February; Primakov said he did not intend to run for president of Russia.
http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, «Kommersant» № 229 (1873) on 10.12.1999, "Kommersant» № 29 (1914) on 22/02/2000
Alexander Mamut came in the focus of media attention in connection with the arrest of media mogul, president of ZAO Media-Most, Vladimir Gusinsky in June 2000. The latter was suspected of fraud in a large scale by the Russian law enforcement agencies. In an easy state of mind of the SPS faction leader Boris Nemtsov, Mamut was declared the author of the persecution of the Media-Most. On the air of NTV Nemtsov said that the scenario of the arrest of Gusinsky had been developed by the head of the presidential administration Alexander Voloshin. "In fact, there is an obvious struggle of the Kremlin's most powerful factions, which consisted of Roman Abramovich, Mamut; economic resources of the country got concentrated and consolidated in the hands of that group, and power tool of this group is Voloshin," said Nemtsov. Mamut promised to apply for Nemtsov in court. But there was no information about the incarnation of those plans in the media.
Www.ko.ru, 04.07.2000, www.businesspress.ru, 15.06.2000
Once in February 2001 Mamut joined the Business Council under the Cabinet of Kasyanov, a working group of the RSPP Bureau under the leadership of Mamut submitted abstracts about banking reform in Russia.
Proposals related to greater freedom of the banking market and consolidation of financial institutions. Mamut promised to increase the requirements for his capital of the banks. The reform assumed that each bank, which had a general license (ie the right to any financial activity), was soon to have a capital not less than $ 100 million. The reform was never realized. Media referred to the initiative of Mamut's attempt to eliminate the smaller banks and associated it with desire to limit the scope of banks having access to the budget funds.
http://lenta.ru/lib/14163493, www.newsru.com, July 16, 2001, "Kommersant-Power, 11.12.2001
Alexander Mamut's name figured in the conflict over the fate of the “Sixth channel”. In 2002 he joined the dozens of private investors who bought back stock of the company "Sixth channel" and supported Yevgeny Kiselyov’s team of journalists. Scandal burst at the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Sixth channel. The question arose about the replacement of the General Director of TV company. The votes went for one of the shareholders of the company, Oleg Kiselyov. But the decision was not unanimous. Chairman of the Board of Directors of “Troika-Dialog”, Alexander Mamut was against, and deliberately left the meeting. Prior to that Mamut had repeatedly said that he considered the chief of information service of the channel - Grigory Krichevsky to be the General Director of TVS. Shareholders of the "Sixth Channel" divided into two parts. The first part - people close to Anatoly Chubais, like Oleg Kiselev, Igor Linshits and others. The second part - Roman Abramovich, Oleg Deripaska, Alexander Mamut. Abramovich and Deripaska on the board of directors did not come. Mamut also allegedly agreed with Chubais that the new CEO was going to be Krichevsky. But the agreement broke down.
Media called this situation a manifestation of conflict between the shareholders - the "Group of Chubais 'and “Group of Deripaska, Abramovich, Mamut”. At that time both the teams controlled the 45% stake in the channel, another 10% belonged to the reporters on whose behalf Yevgeny Kiselyov acted. They believed that «Chubais’s group” defended political interests, while the oligarchs from another group gave priority to the interests of business.
http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, www.izvestia.ru, 18.10.02, www.smi-nn.ru, 02.04.2003
The scandalous situation occurred when in May, 2007 Alexander Mamut sold his 38.46% stake in Ingosstrakh to Czech company, PPF Investments (PPFI) Peter Kellner (the majority shareholder Oleg Deripaska with “Bazel” owned 60,1%). According to media reports, Deripaska believed that Mamut had had to sell the package to him. Then the majority shareholder initiated a meeting of shareholders, where it was decided to increase the capital of the company 4 times - up to 10 billion rubles. PPF decided that it diluted its share in Ingosstrakh because in that case their package would be reduced to 9, 6%. The Czechs said that the decision was made without their knowledge, and filed a claim for recognition of additional share issue invalid. Peter Kellner had been trying for several years to prove the legitimacy of the transaction and eventually got his way. Mamut said that the process of negotiation and sale was long and was not a secret to Deripaska. he substantiated his decision as the need to find other means of developing their projects.
Journal of Money »№ 41 (696) on 20.10.2008, http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, www.gazeta.ru, 3.06.08, www.newsru.com, June 24, 2009
According to the media reports, in 2008 Alexander Mamut bought "on the cheap" a controlling stake of the notorious company “Euroset” (in September 2008 its offices were searched, and the company's management was accused of trafficking and abduction of a former employee). Shareholders of “Euroset” Evgeny Chichvarkin and Timur Artemyev escaped to England. The company's turnover for 2007 amounted to 5,5 billion dollars. According to experts, the company's value was estimated at about $ 1 billion. But in connection with the scandal and the ensuing searches in the financial market, price of the company declined slightly. The amount of the transaction was not commented on with the parties. However, in the press sources reported that the purchase cost Mamut $ 400 million (excluding debt of 850 million dollars). Cheap price, assumed the media, was a result not only of "crisis" discount, but of the situation in which Evgeny Chichvarkin appeared to be: because of problems with law enforcement authorities, he was in no position to bargain. Already in October 2008 the Mamut’s structures sold 49.9 % of “Euroset” to “Vimpelcom”.
http://slon.ru/xfiles/27128/, http://lenta.ru/lib/14163493, "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", № 4756, dated 23 September 2008, "Company", 31.08.2009